After leaving the chief and the site of Salem’s memorial, Grady hiked down the ridge and circumvented the burn area. The charred remains of someone’s home lay covered with dust and ashes—a relatively fresh burn site. Blackened garbage cans and the hulk of a wood burning stove stood testament to another destroyed life. Grady poked around the ruins and gaped at the twisted bars of a large bird cage. The ashes had blown away, but small bone chips and the remnants of the metal food and water bowls showed the demise of someone’s beloved pet.

Bits and pieces of crime scene tape were scattered around the foundation, leading him to believe this had been arson.

A footstep startled Grady.

“Place has been picked clean.” A man with a scraggly beard and dusty clothes leaned against what was left of the chimney.

“I’m not looking for anything,” Grady said. “Any ideas of what happened here?”

“Some crazy person’s burning down the houses of the firefighters,” the man said.

“You mean the guys at the smokejump camp?”

“Yep. This was Jake Collins’ place. Burned down three weeks ago.”

“I know Jake,” Grady said. “I was one of the smokejumpers. Who else lost a home?”

The man scratched the back of his neck. “You know the chief? His place burned down a month ago, and six weeks ago, it was Duane Washington’s cabin. Before that, Tim Olson’s trailer burned to the ground.”

“The police catch anyone?”

“Nope,” the man said. “I’ve a ranch on the other side of the creek, and we’re setting up patrols to protect our property. Anyway, the fires seemed to have stopped. Fingers crossed.”

“Do you have any ideas who’s behind all this?”

The man shrugged. “Could be insurance fraud. Maybe money’s tight and these guys want to cash out.”

“Not the chief,” Grady said. “He’s owned his home since way back.”

“Maybe it’s bad luck, but I’m telling you strange things have been going on this summer.”

“Like what?” The hair on the back of Grady’s neck bristled.

“Stuff missing, pets getting lost.” The rancher cracked his knuckles. “Someone cut the barbed wire at O’Hara’s place and let his bull out. Another neighbor had his car burned in the middle of his driveway. Like I said, we’re setting up a patrol around our property.”

“Good idea,” Grady said. “Summer brings out the gremlins and smoke demons.”

“Tourists and vagrants.” The man scratched his beard. “Anyway, whatever you’re looking for, it isn’t here. Investigators combed through everything looking for clues.”

“Have they found anything that didn’t belong?”

“No, but like I said, the place is picked clean. Someone’s removing pieces of scrap metal and selling them to a bunch of rich hippies going to that Burning Man Festival out in the desert.”

“They catch anyone?” Grady asked.

The man only shook his head. “Frankly, there are too many fires this year all over the west for anyone to keep track and pay attention to. That’s why we’re setting up our own patrols.”

“Good thinking.” Grady figured he’d hit a dead end. It was time to put Salem Pryde and her brand of chaos in the grave and head back to the two people who really mattered—Linx and Jessie.

If Salem’s remains were out there somewhere, may she rest in peace.

* * *

A day went by, and another, but no one heard from Grady. His family had been by, and Linx had shown them Grady’s homesite. They’d scoured it for clues and found nothing. Linx should have given them Grady’s phone—that would have been the right thing to do, but somehow, she couldn’t part from it.

Instead, she would pull it out like an addicting video game and stare at the text messages popping through the lock screen. She couldn’t concentrate on her work, and papers piled up at her desk.

She hadn’t told Tami or anyone about having Grady’s phone. It was a secret pleasure for her, one that became a guilty obsession.

Grady’s family texted numerous times a day, as well as a woman named Vanessa Ransom. From the frequency of her texts, she had to be someone who cared about him—maybe his real girlfriend.

Linx slapped her forehead and forced herself to put the phone down and go through her paperwork. She had no right to worry about him with other women. She and Grady weren’t even friends, much less in any form of a relationship, and other than this one-sided connection or obsession she felt for him, there was nothing substantial to hold onto—other than Jessie.

She had a lot to do for the Gold Rush Festival, and she needed prepare the center for the horde of adoptions she hoped would follow the “picture pet” auction, but she couldn’t focus on it. Not when she was so concerned about Grady.

She updated the website with the biographies and personalities of the dogs and entered completed adoption applications into the database. Her eyes itched to go back to Grady’s phone, but she resisted.

Three more applications to process. They were veterans and one mentioned that Grady had told him about an elderly bulldog needing love.

Linx linked the application to Bob the Bulldog’s entry, and was about to update the stats showing someone was interested in the dog, when Grady’s phone rang.

A picture of an attractive black woman, Vanessa Ransom, popped onto the screen. She had long silky hair, just the way Grady appreciated in a woman. She also looked happy and perky, with a big wide smile and eyes sparkling with good humor—the product of a happy life, most likely with a loving and caring mother.

Before Linx knew what she was doing, she swiped to answer. “Hello? Grady Hart’s phone.”

“Who’s this?” The woman sounded surprised.

There was an unmistakable quaver in her voice that showed she might be more than a little bit interested in Grady and she wondered what another woman was doing answering his phone.

“I’m Linx Colson. Grady’s not available right now.”

She was evil, making it sound as if Grady were in the shower after a hot round of morning wake-up sex. But why not? The woman had been texting nonstop.

“Oh …” Vanessa sounded disappointed. “Linx Colson.”

“What can I do for you?” Linx turned the screw another notch. “Shall I tell him you called?”

“He hasn’t returned any of my text messages, and now it might be too late,” Vanessa said. “Maybe you can help me.”

“Me? How?”

This was unexpected. Linx thought Vanessa would hang up now that she had confirmation Grady was seeing another woman.

“Grady got Sam from your rescue center, am I correct?” Vanessa asked.

“Uh, yes, has something happened to Sam?” Linx’s attention shifted from one-upping this attractive woman friend of Grady’s to concern about the dog.

“He bit a friend of the veteran Grady placed him with, and I need to return him. The friend agreed not to press charges. Grady was supposed to come fetch him. As I recall, your rescue organization will take back any animal who doesn’t fit in after a trial period.”

“Of course, we’ll take him back.” Linx blinked and pushed herself up from her desk, startling Cedar who wandered to the kitchen where Ginger was napping. “I’ll pick him up from your place.”

She might as well check out the competition. This Vanessa chick sounded reasonable and levelheaded. She hadn’t even gone hysterical and demanded to know why Linx picked up Grady’s phone.

“Actually, I’m on my way over,” Vanessa said. “I have a few clients I’m visiting out your way, so I figure I might as well drop Sam off. Also, I’d like to pick up a few more dogs. Tami approved my application.”

“Sure, I’m at the center. Which dogs?” Linx was thankful Tami had kept things going while she was having her multiple crises.

“It’s in the email I sent you this morning,” Vanessa said. “Can you tell Grady I’m on my way? I’m a little worried about him. I’m about twenty minutes from Colson’s Corner.”

“Sure, yes, of course,” Linx said, not wanting to admit that she also hadn’t heard from him. “One more thing. Call me on my direct line. It’ll be easier that way.”

They exchanged numbers and hung up.

Her heart pounding and hands sweaty, Linx went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Little Ginger lifted her head from the blanket she was on and pushed up on her hind legs, wagging the tip of her tail.

“Oh, you sweet little thing,” Linx crooned. “You’re trying to walk.”

The puppy made a cute little squeal as she crawled unsteadily with Cedar encouraging her by nudging her onto her wobbly feet.

Linx quickly switched her camera phone to video mode to capture Ginger’s first tentative little steps as the puppy pulled herself with her stronger front legs and tottered with collapsing hind legs across the room.

A warm gooey feeling spread through Linx’s chest, and her heart swelled with pride. Her two dogs were going to be best sisters. She encouraged Cedar and praised her, then rubbed her fur with extra attention.

After recording the scenes, she published it to the website, then texted the video to Grady, even though he wouldn’t receive it.

She added a message. I can’t thank you enough for letting me keep Cedar. I hope you’ll forgive me for everything I did. You have a wonderful heart. Don’t ever let anyone tell you you don’t. I miss you, and I wish you would come back.

The resulting chime on Grady’s phone made her feel stupid, but somehow special at the same time. Someday, he’d retrieve his phone and see the video of Cedar and Ginger, and hopefully, it would let him know that she appreciated his sacrifice.

If only there was something she could do for him. Something more than sleeping with him—although that seemed to be all he wanted with her.

To her, sex was more than purely physical, maybe. She couldn’t read Grady, and while he enjoyed sex with her, he could be enjoying it with others too, like this Vanessa Ransom woman who was a much better catch than her—a stable, sensible-sounding woman.

“I better get ready to meet Grady’s girlfriend,” Linx said to the dogs as she turned on her computer. A few clicks later, she was even more intimidated. Dr. Vanessa Ransom was a psychotherapist dealing with post traumatic stress disorder, abuse, and addiction recovery. And she was a certified dog trainer for therapy and service dogs.

She sounded like she’d be good for Grady. She could help him deal with his traumas and talk him down from the guilt he suffered from Salem’s death.

In other words, Grady’s perfect woman.

Linx had no standing to be jealous, especially if another woman was better for him. She should be happy for him and wish them well. Grady needed someone with a level head on her shoulders.

With a heavy heart, Linx straightened her desk and swept the wooden floor of the cabin as she waited for Vanessa.

The doorbell rang and for a moment, Linx wondered if it was Grady. When Cedar lowered her ears and gave a warning bark, she knew it was a stranger.

Standing at the door was Dr. Vanessa Ransom and Sam, the German shepherd pitbull mix.

“Come in, it’s good to meet you.” Linx forced a smile as Cedar lunged forward and sniffed Sam.

The two dogs greeted each other with wagging tails, and Vanessa stepped in with a worried look on her face. She glanced briefly around the small cabin. “It’s good to meet you, too. Grady says you do a great job with socializing the dogs under your care.”

“We get a lot of abused animals and those who’ve been foraging for themselves. We nurse them back to health and try to give them hope, although it’s hard when there are so many,” Linx said.

“What you’re doing is a good thing.” Vanessa touched her arm. “Grady and I hope to do the same for the veterans. So many are hurt and scarred from their experiences. A dog who’s been through grief and abandonment connects better with some of our veterans—gives them something to relate to each other.”

Linx moved away from the therapist’s touch. “That’s why Grady and I go over each dog’s past, as much as we can glean, and assess their personalities, any challenges they may have, and special needs.”

“Anyway, it’s not like Grady to leave things hanging.”

“Right. I’m surprised,” Linx said, bending down to pick up Ginger. “Please, sit down. Would you like to see some of the dogs Grady picked out for your clients?”

“Sure. Did you get our email about the husband and wife who want two retrievers?”

“Yes, we got their applications, but things are kind of hectic here.” Linx swiped a loose strand of hair from her forehead.

Vanessa’s smile was stiff. “What a cute puppy. I’m following her updates on your website. Is she starting to walk?”

“Barely, but yes, I just posted a video a few minutes ago.”

“May I hold her?” Vanessa held out her hands.

“Sure,” Linx said, even though it felt like letting another woman hold her baby—well, duh, she’d already done that, hadn’t she?

Linx’s mind flashed back to the day Jessie was born. She’d had to have a C-section because her water had broken and she wasn’t making progress. As soon as the doctor pulled Jessie, all bloody and wet, from the slit in her abdomen, they’d wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to Mrs. Patterson.

Empty hadn’t even begun to describe the hollowness in her heart.

“What a little sweetie you are,” Vanessa said to Ginger. “You’re putting Mountain Dog Rescue on the map.”

“She’s three weeks old,” Linx added. “And Cedar’s been playing mommy or at least big sister.”

“Going to let her try solid food soon?”

“Yes, she’s a real trooper.” Linx’s chest puffed with pride. “And to think someone abandoned her on a rainy day.”

“I saw the pictures.” Vanessa shuddered. “You’ve come a long way, baby.”

Linx warmed up a bottle of formula for Ginger and gave it to Vanessa. “Want to feed her? I’ll get you a towel.”

“Oh, thanks.” Vanessa’s face spread with a genuine smile. “She’s so adorable, I wish I could take her home. But I already have two dogs, and I live in an apartment in the city.”

“I sometimes fantasize about keeping her, too,” Linx admitted.

“But you have this wonderful dog.” Vanessa sat down on the sofa next to Cedar who made room for her. “Grady says she used to be his dog.”

Wow. Grady shared a lot with this woman.

Sheesh! More than he shared with his sister, Cait.

“I found her after a forest fire,” Linx said. “She needed looking after.”

Vanessa only nodded, her gaze fixed on the puppy as she fed her the puppy formula.

Linx sat on the other side of Cedar and ruffled her fur, and Sam plodded to her side, begging for attention. She scratched his ears and let him rest his head on her knee. “You’re a good dog, but you can’t be biting people.”

“He was provoked,” Vanessa said. “The man admitted he was jealous of Sam. It’s not a good situation.”

“Did Sam belong to his wife?”

“No, the woman wasn’t even his girlfriend, and I gather Sam felt protective of her. She was making progress too, but this guy, who’s also a veteran, wanted to be her protection. At the end, she chose the guy over Sam.”

“Oh well, buddy boy.” Linx ran her hand down Sam’s back. “I know a man who’s quiet and strong just like you.”

“So do I,” Vanessa said. “When you hear from him, will you let me know?”

So, they were on the exact same wavelength.

“Sure, I will.” Linx wasn’t going to admit to Vanessa that she also wondered when she’d hear from him.

Vanessa finished feeding Ginger and set her down on the floor. The puppy stumbled along like a drunk. She was so cute.

Both Vanessa and Linx took videos of the little drunk’s weaving movements, her belly so full it was distended almost to the floor, and her tail upright and wagging.

They oohed and aahed over the sweet thing, and laughed at her attempts at howling. Cedar nudged and licked her while Sam basically ignored her. He jumped out of her way and quirked one eyebrow at Cedar as if to say, “keep your baby away from me.”

“Such a typical male,” Linx said, cracking up at Sam.

“Yep, that dog is Grady through and through,” Vanessa said. “Can I take a look around at the other dogs on Grady’s list?”

“Sure, let me put Ginger back in her playpen.”

After securing Ginger, Linx and Vanessa went out the back door, followed by Sam and Cedar.

The dogs in the kennel let out volleys of excited barks. There were also a few who’d lost all spark of hope that they’d be adopted, so they stayed quiet.

Linx led the way out back to the kennels. “We have an elderly bulldog, two retrievers, a chow chow who’s the sweetest young lady, a basset hound mother, and well, take your pick.”

“Shhh …” Vanessa held her finger to her lips. “I’d like to observe the dogs first and let them get used to me.”

Linx took a step back, no longer in realtor-mode, as she watched the therapist and dog trainer size up the animals. She went quietly from pen to pen.

After she made a round, she lingered at the pen holding the female chow chow, a black-haired dog with a mane like a lion’s. The dog’s tongue lolled in the heat and she peered at them through her furry, wrinkled face.

“How old is she?”

“A little more than two years old,” Linx replied. “She’ll make a wonderful guard dog and companion. Her name’s Aurora and she was surrendered by a woman who was going into a nursing home—an Army nurse from the Vietnam War. Couldn’t take her dog and had no relatives to help out.”

“Oh, poor thing, so her former owner is a soldier?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Let me spend some time with her and see if she’s suitable for my client who suffers from PTSD and night frights,” Vanessa said. She turned to Linx and added, “I do believe a dog would be good for Grady, even though he’s too macho to admit it.”

“Are you saying I should give Cedar back?” Linx felt her heart race as her throat tightened.

“You know what you need to do.” Vanessa gave her a close-mouthed smile. “Don’t give up on him, okay?”

“I’m not, I mean, no, I won’t give up.” Linx swallowed as her heart expanded and contracted thickly in her chest. “I want to make him happy. Truly happy.”

And loved. To the best of her ability.